Author's Note:
Thank you for the warm reception! I am glad you have enjoyed the other two parts of this story. Please enjoy the finale along with a fun little epilogue.
Also, I just learned about the Series option - I'll be sure to correct that for any future connected stories I create here.
"Do you need shampoo?"
His soft question caught me by surprise.
I didn't know what to expect, but it hadn't been that. Of course he was being considerate. Even after roughly fucking me with his hand, he was going to care about me.
Pulling back just enough to look up, I considered him thoughtfully. He wasn't about to ask me to give him anything even after what he had just given me. Thinking about what we had been arguing about, I weighed my options. There was the heavy beating of my heart as I feared I had not given him enough of a chance. I was so determined to keep my walls up that I wasn't even considering what was on the other side.
So what if it came with mates and werewolves and more? He was there. And maybe that was worth it. Maybe he was worth it. Emotions warred through me as I tried to think. All of this suddenly felt like a very big decision.
No matter what, I still had a choice. He was making sure of that, I reminded myself. I could always change my mind.
"Yes," I told Warren at last, an answer that counted for several of his recent questions.
~ ~ ~
It was, in the end, a compromise.
Though Warren wasn't too thrilled about it, the blow job I gave him once we had washed up in the shower seemed to cheer him up a little. We dressed, me trying to be modest for some reason and him not caring one whit, and then left to go into the rest of the house.
We made it down the stairs and passed a few open doors. One had several people in there around a table. People I didn't recognize. I moved past it without thinking before turning back. "What----"
But Warren corrected my path to lead me past the kitchen and back out to the porch where we had originally parted ways over a week ago. My phone appeared out of his pocket. "You should call everyone and let them know you'll be back in a week."
Already it had been days. I frowned, worried that wouldn't go over well with Lacey and my school. Though I tried to think of what they might say, I found myself unable to take my eyes off a certain shadow on his jaw. I didn't think the lighting was right. Was that a hickey? Had I done that?
"And you're sure it can't be any sooner?" I hedged, trying to distract myself.
He tilted his neck like he was giving me a better angle to see it. My lips parted, already forgetting what we were talking about. That was quite the mark I had left on him. I didn't even remember my lips there. Maybe I should lean in and...
"Are you listening?"
"Huh?" I managed.
It was clear to me by then that Warren and I really did have a fantastical connection. What that meant, was that it scared me; I wasn't ready to promise anything about this--about us. Not yet at least.
Fortunately, Warren was generous and I wanted to take something from this. Though he made clear hints about wanting me to settle in this life with him all the way out here, I wasn't about to give up the life I had started. I only had eight more months of med school and no one was going to stop me from making that dream happen. Not werewolves and not weird bites in the shoulder.
Except I couldn't just walk away. Warren and I literally needed each other. Mates were bound. Until I went through the ceremony, we could only endure so much time without each other at our side.
If I went through this binding ceremony, then we would be really together. But we could also be apart. I wasn't ready to tackle exactly what that meant but I at least grasped it meant I could get back to my life somewhat if not entirely. So we'd do this ceremony on the next full moon----four days away----and then we'd reassess. It was all I could promise him.
"One week," he affirmed before returning inside.
I huffed but went about making my calls all the same. Lacey and my mentor, Dr. Higgins, were very concerned. Still, I'd done this my first year. I had run off for an extra long weekend just to clear my head at the beach. Apparently this wouldn't be too different. They had questions that I battered down and they seemed to finally accept that I would return----with a lot of work waiting for me.
"I promise. One week and you'll have me back. I'll catch up on everything then," I reassured them both.
Just as I was hanging up the phone, Dana stepped out. "You don't have any other boyfriends or partners, do you?" she asked abruptly.
I slipped my phone in my back pocket and raised an eyebrow. The question was an odd one since I thought it obvious that Warren and I were not only bonded but also we liked each other. Although, I knew I wasn't always good at showing my affection. It was always easier to fight than to love in my case. That was why my relationships never lasted. So it was just a reaction when I asked her in response, "What if I did?"
"But you don't." She relaxed suddenly. "That's good. Warren was worried. He knew there was someone else but I can tell him he's fine. Or you can. That might be nice coming from you. I've never seen our Alpha so uncertain of anything or anyone before, you know. It's a little... strange."
There was that word again. I shared a tight smile. "Everything is strange right now."
A delighted laugh escaped her. "That's right."
"How did you know?" I frowned at her. "About no one else. How did you know? You can't read minds or anything, can you?"
"Not exactly. We don't really think in concrete ways, you know. It's much too abstract. It's like looking into a pond and trying to grab one of many fish swimming around. We can grab something, if we can hold onto it, but... it's a lot. And sometimes not enough."
I stared at her, the truth slowly dawning. "What the fuck?"
"Calm down, you don't need to worry."
